There aren't many people braving the north-westerly gale blowing along the beach at Aberlady in East Lothian, but rather more than there were last time the rocks, newly fallen from the cliff face, were exposed to the waves. In fact, the closest creature to mankind was a 10-foot-long lizard creature who would have appreciated the cold even less.

The time was 320 million years ago and, before the tectonic plates shifted north, what is now Britain lay somewhere near the equator.

I have come to Aberlady beach because Hermione Cockburn, an Open University scientist and presenter of BBC 2's Fossil Detectives, wants to show me some of the joys of one of Britain's fastest-growing hobbies.

In the programme, broadcast at the end of last year, viewers were transported to beaches and quarries all over the country on a tour of prehistoric life. Since then, beaches at the weekend brim with figures in anoraks poking around for an imprint of some poor creature who stumbled into the mire millions of years ago.

The mere mention of fossils makes me dream of finding an entire brontosaurus skeleton. And it is far from impossible for a casual fossil hunter to find a well-preserved dinosaur in Britain, says Hermione. Or even a woolly mammoth. At West Runton beach in Norfolk a couple strolling after a storm in 1990 chanced upon a bone-like object sticking out of the clay. It turned out they were being mooned at by a 600,000-year-old mammoth. After alerting the Norfolk Museums Service, an excavation revealed 85 per cent of the 10-ton creature's skeleton.

Related Articles

We won't be finding any mammoth or dinosaur bones at Aberlady – or if we do the geological history of the Earth will have to be rewritten. The rocks are 320 million years old: too old for dinosaurs, but stuffed with lots of interesting creatures nonetheless. "Look, there's a crinoid," says Hermione as she picks up a rock with the imprint of what looks like a worm. "It's actually the stem of what was a sea lily. In spite of the name it was actually an animal."

Fossil hunters can dream of doing what 15-year-old Roger Mason managed in 1957 while out fossil hunting in Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire.

Imprinted in the 560-year-old rocks was the clear impression of a fernlike plant. At the time, such a find would have been considered impossible: the rocks were believed to predate complex life forms. Roger's reward was to have the specimen named after him: Charnia masoni.

It could happen to anyone, so long as they have a basic knowledge of fossils, says Hermione. "If you find something you know to be unusual, contact a local museum. If your specimen is new you are entitled to have it named after you."

Alas, the discovery of the Bugus clarkus will have to wait for another day. Hermione does turn up some beautifully fine imprints of corals and clams.

I will never look the same way at a lump of rock again. It isn't just the sense of history which fascinates, but the air of tragedy, too. The West Runton elephant, for example, is believed to have perished trying to cross a shallow, slow-moving river.

Normally, that would not have been a problem, but this elephant had suffered a serious knee injury around two years earlier, possibly as a result of a fight, which made it sluggish. The creature, aged 40 at the time, was only halfway through its lifespan, and its body was treated disdainfully by its peers: one of whom appears to have trodden on one of its tusks. But, alone among its family, it died in a location which ensured it immortality.

The Fossil Detectives by Hermione Cockburn and Douglas Palmer (BBC Books) is available from Telegraph Books (0844 871 1515 or books.telegraph.co.uk) for £14.99 + £1.25.

Where to go fossil-hunting

Hanover Point, Isle of Wight The eroding cliffs on the southern side of the Isle of Wight are the best dinosaur-hunting grounds in Europe. You might not find a complete specimen, but at low tide you are likely to see the fossilised cast of Iguanodon footprints – giant, three-pronged rocks.

Sheringham to Cromer, Norfolk The crumbling mud cliffs are excellent for remains of creatures alive during the ice ages. Besides the odd mammoth you might find a lump of amber – fossilised tree resin, even with a perfectly preserved insect.

Between Charmouth and Lyme Regis, Dorset The so-called "Jurassic coast", from whose fast-eroding cliff specimens emerge every year. The near-complete skeleton of a dinosaur called Scelidosaurus harrisoni was found here in 2000, and is on display at Bristol City Museum.

Formby Sands, Lancashire Storms often wash away sand to expose clay, in which can be found footprints of 4000-year-old humans, complete with bunions and missing toes.

Achanarras Quarry, North Highlands One of the best places in Britain to find fossilised fish. Piles of spoil are put aside for fossil hunters.

DON'T FORGET YOUR HAMMER

Know the Fossil Code. It is legal, for example, to pick up loose material from the beach, but not to hammer away at a cliff-face to look for specimens.

Do your research beforehand. Find out what age the rocks are where you are going fossil hunting, and therefore what kind of life forms you are likely to find there.

Take a hammer – and goggles – with you. This essential piece of fossil-hunting kit will allow you to break open rocks to find what lies inside.

Think about joining a fossil-hunting club. Many exist throughout the country, which offer guidance and a chance to discuss finds.

Take a bottle of water – ideal for washing mud and sand to reveal fossil below.

Don't become a fossil yourself. Keep away from cliff faces. Many of those in the best fossil-hunting beaches are highly unstable and regularly have landslips, which could result in your submersion – and preservation – beneath mountains of soft clay.